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With a change in coaching from J.B. Bickerstaff to Kenny Atkinson at the helm, the Cleveland Cavaliers expect a different approach this season. Early in training camp, analytics was the most significant new thing the Cavs were embracing under Atkinson. That approach has become clear with how Cleveland wants Darius Garland to shoot more three-pointers or how Atkinson wants Isaac Okoro to be more involved in the offense. However, it's more than just superficial changes to Cleveland's offense. Embracing analytics can change things game-by-game for the Cavs this season.
“Kenny and the staff are very analytics-based,” Okoro said. “They really tell you why. ‘There’s a reason we want you doing this,’ and they will give you facts and studies behind it.”
Analytics can show what does and doesn’t work for Cleveland during a game or against a specific opponent. It can help dictate certain lineups or wrinkles that the Cavs can exploit to maximize on-court opportunities.
“It reminds me of my time in Utah,” Donovan Mitchell said. “I’m not a big analytics guy as far as knowing about it, but I’m always intrigued about how we can find ways to get the most out of our groups.”
How Kenny Atkinson is using analytics to shake up the Cavs' rotations
Atkinson has embraced analytics to answer Cleveland's offensive rebounding woes. To Atkinson, it starts with Evan Mobley's rebounding and how it can impact the flow of a game.
“When Evan is on the court alone [without Jarrett Allen], the rebounding numbers aren’t great,” Atkinson said. “For me as a coach, I can use those numbers [and say], ‘You could really help us when we are in those spread lineups. We need you to rebound more.’”
In his introductory press conference, Atkinson said he wanted to “get ahead of the league” in certain areas. Using analytics more is a way to stay up with their competition, but not necessarily get ahead of it. However, Atkinson and his staff remain realistic in their approach, too. Cleveland cannot reinvent the wheel and entirely ignore their core identity as a defensive-first squad. It's a way to bridge the gap between what the Cavs are successful at and then fine-tune that approach to maximize every opportunity on the floor.
“[We want to] keep leaning on our defensive identify,” Atkinson said. “We kind of doubled down on that today. I think the guys were expecting all of this offense and a big offensive day, and I’d say 70% of the day was reinforcing that that’s still our identity.
“When you look at a team, the first thing you do is [figure out] their number one strength. I think to go away from that is a mistake. . . . And then [we want to] build the offense bit by bit. I don’t want to lose that identity. We’re going to double down on that.”
Atkinson isn’t trying to rebuild the wheel and do everything simultaneously for the Cavs. Instead, he's embracing Cleveland's core values and empowering their offensive abilities, little by little. By leaning on analytics to accomplish this, it becomes easier to see the overall vision for the Cavs. It'll take time but when everything starts to click, Cleveland will be a much better team for it.
